It never looks exactly like Carlos Gonzalez is sprinting. He drives his legs in the dirt and strides, like he’s breaking into a triple-jump run more than a 100-yard dash. And he gets around the bases in a hurry.

Colorado Rockies infielder Justin Morneau recorded an out at first base in the fifth inning of an Opening Day game against the Arizona Diamondbacks 12-2 at Coors Field on Friday, April 4, 2014 in Denver. (Karl Gehring, The Denver Post)

ARLINGTON, Texas — Colorado Rockies first baseman Justin Morneau was a late scratch from Thursday’s starting lineup against the Rangers because of a stiff neck.

There was no immediate word from the club on whether the injury is anything more than stiffness or a day-to-day problem.

Houston Astros center fielder Dexter Fowler is congratulated in the dugout after scoring from third on a sacrifice fly by teammate Marc Krauss during the fourth inning of a spring exhibition baseball game in Kissimmee, Fla., Saturday. (Carlos Osorio, The Associated Press)

Dexter Fowler finally talked at length about his trade from the Rockies — and he belted back at Rockies management.

Barry Bonds is back. And he wasn’t bitter or combative, admitting at one point that he wished he had cultivated a better relationship with the media during his career. Bonds returns to baseball for the first time since he retired in 2007 — his final 762nd home run was hit off Ubaldo Jimenez at Coors Field –as a guest hitting instructor.

He revealed that working with former Rockie Dexter Fowler last winter at the behest of Colorado Springs Triple-A manager Glenallen Hill helped convince him to return when the Giants invited him.

Speaking with the media for the first time since he retired, Bonds addressed a number of topics, but steered clear of Alex Rodriguez and Biogenesis. Asked if he if he belongs in the Hall of Fame, Bonds replied, “Without a doubt.”

The Rockies’ Ryan Casteel, center, is greeted by teammates after hitting a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the third inning in a spring training game Friday in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Gregory Bull, The Associated Press)

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — Well, it’s a start. And a pretty impressive one at that.

The Rockies opened their 2014 Cactus League season with an 11-0 victory over the Diamondbacks on Friday at Salt River Fields, a committee of seven Rockies pitchers limiting the Diamondbacks to two hits.

Lefty Franklin Morales, making a bid for the starting rotation, opened the game. He struggled a bit with his command — evidenced by his 36 pitches and 21 strikes in his two innings — but he impressed with a lively fastball down in the zone. He allowed one hit and two walks while striking out one. Morales escaped trouble in the second, getting catcher Henry Blanco to ground out to second with two men on. Morales threw a hard sinker to get Chris Owings to bounce into a double play to end the first.

Jorge De La Rosa and the Rockies will open spring training on Feb. 28 against the Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

Salt River Fields has been a bonanza for the Rockies, leading to huge crowds the past three seasons at the Cactus League’s most palatial setting. The Rockies share the facility with the Diamondbacks, and the teams are expected to fill the place again in March.

The Rockies announced their 33-game spring schedule on Tuesday, beginning with the opener on Feb. 28 as the visiting team against the Diamondbacks. Their fist home game is March 2 against Milwaukee. For those planning trips to the desert, the Rockies will host home games on Fridays and Saturdays for three-consecutive weeks, beginning on March 7-8 through March 21-22. The Rockies play six straight home games March 19-24.

PHOENIX — The first wave of the Rockies’ late-spring roster moves arrived Sunday with right-hander Tyler Chatwood and lefties Josh Outman and Christan Friedrich leading the way.

All three entered camp hoping to compete for a spot in the rotation, but Chatwood and Outman’s up-and-down performances and Friedrich’s lower-back issues resulted in them being optioned to minor-league camp. All three will likely begin the season as starters for Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Third-base prospect Nolan Arenado was not among those cut Sunday, a strong signal that he’s still in the running to make the opening-day roster.

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — Nolan Arenado knows he can’t stay in “the zone” forever, but he hopes his early spring power burst has caught the attention of the Rockies’ decision makers.

The third-base prospect will start his third consecutive game Monday when the Rockies travel to Peoria to face the Mariners. He’s hit two homers over the last two games and has hit three already this spring.

“They are giving me opportunities to get ready for the season, no matter where it’s at,” Arenado said Monday morning. “I feel good and I’m happy I’m getting to play. You want to get as many at-bats as you can during spring training. I just have to take it in and enjoy it.”

How are things progressing for the Rockies under new manager Walt Weiss at Spring Training? Can Troy Tulowitzki regain his All-Star form? Does Todd Helton have anything left in the tank? How’s the pitching staff?

Troy Renck in Scottsdale and Patrick Saunders in Denver answer your questions about the comings and goings in the still-budding season for the Rockies.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Messages are a rite of passage in spring training. The front office delivers them with contracts and invites. Managers express them through playing time and lineups. Other messages are, well, messages.

As the Rockies’ pitchers and catchers (and plenty of position players) prepared for their first work out Tuesday at Salt River Fields, they found purple t-shirts in their locker stalls. They were gifts from veteran outfielder Michael Cuddyer. The front of the shirt reads “Beat Their (Butts)” in big white letters.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Even as the Rockies search for a starter, they need improved health from existing pitchers to fortify their rotation. Jorge De La Rosa and Juan Nicasio won’t pitch in winterball, choosing instead to work out in controlled environments before spring training.

De La Rosa, out for more than a year after undergoing elbow ligament surgery, pitched briefly for the Rockies in September and talked about possibly making a few starts in Mexico following the season.

That’s not going to happen. He is working out Scottsdale at the Rockies’ spring training facility, healing and strengthening his legs. He said after his last big league start that he wanted to get in better condition.

Rockies manager Jim Tracy talked about his team’s home-opening loss to Barry Zito and the San Francisco Giants on Monday. And how Colorado lost control of the tempo of the game, early in the game, before things went from bad to worse.

Tracy also talked about Jhoulys Chacin’s struggles — and how they carried over from Spring Training — and the Coors Field debut of Marco Scutaro.

The day when thousands skip work and pull the kids out of school to take part in a much-loved American ritual. The streets around Coors Field become a mass of humanity as fair-weather and die-hard baseball fans alike converge to be a part of something special. Americana at its finest. The fresh peanuts, the newly printed jerseys, the fan camaraderie, the military flyover. It all makes me giddy.

SCOTTSDALE — Drew Pomeranz’s right gluteus injury was not much of a sore subject today, with Rockies’ trainer Keith Dugger telling The Post that “I’d don’t think it’s anything serious.”

The Rockies’ left-handed starter ran his streak of scoreless innings to seven Tuesday, but left after two innings when the muscle around his hip would not loosen. Pomeranz has experienced the problem before after games, but never while pitching. He said he could have worked through it, though it made no sense to risk it during a spring game. Pomeranz returned to Salt River Fields on Tuesday afternoon, and showed improvement after icing.

Pomeranz will be re-evaulated today around 2 p.m. It’s unclear if his next start on Sunday will be pushed back. He must throw a bullpen session in the next couple of days to be cleared for that assignment. Pomeranz’s tightness could be caused from throwing slightly across his body, not terribly uncommon among left-handers.

Patrick, a third-generation Colorado native, is back for his second stint covering the Rockies. He first covered the team from 2005-2009, helping chronicle “Rocktober” in 2007 and also following the team’s playoff run in 2009.

Nick Groke has worked at The Denver Post since 1997, as a sports reporter, city reporter, entertainment writer and digital editor and producer, among other newsroom posts. He also writes regularly about boxing, soccer, MMA and NASCAR.